UK
An ageing Australian population has led to great strain on the aged care system, leading to widespread poor performance and sub-adequate levels of care for our elderly. The Royal Commission was established to investigate, and its recommendations (published in March 2021) amount to an overhaul of the current system with much stronger regulation and transparency.
Facility management teams have a large part to play in creating a productive and caring environment where the elderly feel safe and well looked after. A significant number of residential aged care homes rely on paper and spreadsheets systems to manage FM, but more are transitioning to computer aided facilities management (CAFM) for an easier way to meet their challenges and gain insight into how to improve aged care services.
Feedback and accountability
Transparency of performance is an overarching theme of the Royal Commission’s report, stating:
“A lack of transparency and accountability is a pervasive feature of the current aged care system …The aged care system needs to be far more open to feedback on its own performance and more accountable to older people receiving care”.
Feedback can be captured directly onto a CAFM- like QFM from Service Works Global – by FM team, care teams and residents. On completion of a task, feedback can be requested from the client, such as a star rating for the operative’s work quality, speed and professionalism. Feedback forms can be set up in the CAFM and left on tablets or computers in communal areas. This allows residents and their families to leave comments at any time of day, providing valuable insight and new ideas to allow the organisation to provide the best possible care. All data is stored centrally and securely, for easy reporting and analysis.
Peace and quiet
Inhabitants in any building environment react adversely to disruption, but residents in care homes can be particularly fragile, with dementia sufferers especially affected by noise. CAFM makes it easier to create calm spaces through intelligent maintenance scheduling. For example, FMs can specify that works should not be scheduled in evenings and early mornings; to avoid the communal area between 10:00 – 10.30am so as not to disrupt the daily exercise; or that boilers should move from monthly to quarterly inspections during the summer months. QFM’s asset management tools also allow thresholds to be set (such as for temperature or run time), to trigger an alarm when exceeded and dispatch an engineer; or a BMS can be integrated which will automatically create jobs in the CAFM when a fault is identified. This allows potential problems to be rectified before they worsen or lead to breakdown, improving asset availability and enabling better care for residents.
Compliance and security
To remain accredited for the Aged Care Quality Standards, residential care homes are audited regularly, which can be a stressful experience when trying to prove what has been achieved. While paperwork can get damaged or lost, and spreadsheets can be accidentally deleted or overwritten, QFM stores all information centrally and securely. Records of PPMs and work requested, scheduled and completed, are stored on the system; capturing dates, times and which operative did the work. This can be easily reported on to prove compliance through regular check-ups and maintenance.
QFM can also store other information such as qualifications and permits for the in-house team or contractors, creating an alert before any are due to expire so they can be renewed without service disruption. The defects liability period (DLP) can also be tracked in case rectification work is required.
Data for a human touch
Data holds the key to understanding what works and what doesn’t, and how the FM team can provide a smooth-running and productive environment for the care team and residents. Data in a CAFM system on planned and reactive maintenance, costs and team performance allows trends to be identified and actioned. This means that the elderly can have unrestricted access to essentials like lifts, hoists and warm water, whilst nurses and carers have more quality time to provide care, rather than dealing with admin or facilities problems.
Download our new white paper, QFM and Aged Care: Investigating the Royal Commission’s Report, to learn more about how QFM can help FM’s meet the challenges of the proposed reforms; contact us; or arrange a demo of our CAFM software.
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